


The Mystery of Spontaneous Holographic Sentience

by AlekD



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:15:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlekD/pseuds/AlekD
Summary: Holodeck malfunctions lead, once again, to chaos and Frank Hollander returns.
Relationships: Frank Hollander/Reader
Kudos: 1





	The Mystery of Spontaneous Holographic Sentience

**Author's Note:**

> (I have plans to continue this story but it's low priority at the moment so don't expect fast updates)

You took a deep breath, inhaling the faintly sweet scent of peach trees into your lungs. Geordi had helped you with this holoprogram, and it was definitely the most realistic one you’d created so far. The meadow buzzed with chubby bumblebees bouncing drunkenly from dandelion to dandelion and the stream nearby bubbled and murmured over its bed of smooth rocks. It was exactly like being home again, and was exactly what you needed after a long week of arduous experiments in the astrophysics lab. You sighed happily and sat down on the grass, plucking a few blades and piling them absentmindedly on your knee.

You caught movement out of the corner of your eye and looked up, frowning as you watched a tumbleweed bounce across the meadow. That wasn’t right. “Computer, nix the tumbleweed,” you said. The computer chirped in response but the dead sage bush just continued to bounce into the surrounding woods. You took a few steps forward then jumped. “Ow!”

A stinging pain radiated from a tiny prick at your ankle. A bee had...stung you? On the Holodeck?

“Computer, freeze program.”

A man had appeared on the edge of the meadow. He was dressed all in black and he blinked from under his wide-brimmed hat. He looked as confused as you felt.

“Computer, end program.” The computer chirped again but the man didn’t disappear. He was walking towards you now, taking sure, steady strides.

“Commander?” You asked, your annoyance at the program malfunction lessening when you recognized Data’s face. You smiled. “Not that I don’t appreciate the costume, but it doesn’t quite match the theme. The mustache is a nice touch, you might consider keeping it. What are you doing here? The Holodeck isn’t working right.”

He narrowed his eyes at you, then looked away, his pale eyes scanning the meadow. “This don’t look like Deadwood.”

“Don’t..?”

“Who’re you?” He spoke in a thick drawl, which on its own wasn’t unusual. Commander Data had always been incredible at mimicking voices. It was the contractions that caught you off guard. “How’d I get here? A moment ago I was drinking at the saloon and now...”

“I don’t know, I think there’s some kind of glitch in the system. The Holodeck is always going a little bit sideways, I just thought a simple woodland scene would be safe enou—hey!” He had stopped listening, his eyes fixed on something over your shoulder for a moment before gruffly gripping you by the wrist and wrenching you behind him. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Shut your yap, woman. Let me handle this.”

You followed his gaze, gasping as you saw an enormous lioness crouching in the grass, her eyes were intent, fierce, as she prepared to attack. Despite knowing of the safety checks inside the Holodeck, you couldn’t help but shriek when she pounced, covering the length of the meadow in a few powerful strides. A gunshot rang through the air, making your ears ring. Then another.

“Computer, end program!” You yelled as the predator’s jaws closed around the commanders forearm. He gave a gutteral cry of pain that made something twist horribly in your gut, your instinct knowing that the pain was real, but Data should not have been able to feel it. Another shot rang out and finally the lioness went limp.

“What the hell?!” Frightened tears were hot on your cheeks as your mind scrambled to make sense of what had just happened. The commander sank to his knees, doubling over as he clutched his arm to his chest.

“Are you alright?” you asked kneeling next to him. You reached for his arm to see what damage had been done but he jerked it away from your touch. Looking down, you saw that your palm was covered in deep crimson blood. Your head swam at the sight of it pooling over your fingers and dripping onto the grass.

The sound of rustling in the underbrush brought you out of your shock. “Can you stand?” You whispered. “We need to get out of here.”

He gritted his teeth, his lips pressing together as he nodded his head. He groaned as he rose onto shaky feet. This was not commander Data. Whoever this character was, he was human enough that he seemed to be going into shock. There was a glazed look to his eyes, and though he kept his hand gripped over the dripping tear of his sleeve, he refused to look down at it.

“We just need to find a place to hide and I’ll get this figured out,” you said, leading him to the woods away from the ominous sounds. Obviously coding from different Holoprograms were overlapping somehow, merging your peaceful meadow with some kind of safari hunt and, judging my the tumbleweed and this man wearing leather chaps and spurs, an old western program. You had very little interest in finding out what other surprises might come bursting out of the underbrush.

You kept heading in a straight line, occasionally calling out for the arch or exit, or telling the computer to end program. You could still hear the mechanical blip of the computer, but it was as though the system were overloaded and it wouldn’t respond to your commands. You wondered aloud how long it would be until someone of the crew realized that you were trapped in here. Your heart sank when you reasoned that it could be hours.

It was a small comfort to find a little cave near a small waterfall. After checking that it was vacant of any predatory animals, you helped the man sit down. He grimaced, removing his hat and leaning against the wall of the cave.

“Are you in pain?” You asked cautiously.

He blinked at you like you were the biggest moron he’d ever seen in his life. “Nah. I ain’t in pain. I’m just pretendin’ so I can get ya to kiss me all better, sweetheart.”

His voice was thick with sarcasm, but it was clear that the rudeness was a mask for the pain that made his jaw tense and his breaths come in short, shallow gasps.

“You shouldn’t be able to feel pain…” you murmured, settling next to him. “Let me see.”

Reluctantly, he let you take his injured arm away from his chest. It was difficult to see the extent of the wound through the ripped fabric of his jacket and shirt. 

“We have to take this off,” you said.

He chuckled darkly. “So that’s how it is, huh?”

You ignored his attempts at humor, seeing the fear in his eyes despite the facade. You carefully helped him remove first the long black overcoat, wincing as his entire body shuddered when the fabric was pulled away from the wound. Underneath he wore a vest and a white shirt. You used your teeth to rip the sleeve of the shirt, pulling it carefully away. From the elbow down it was thoroughly saturated in blood that was still hot. You’d never been a fan of the more thrilling holoprograms, but you definitely felt that something had gone wrong. It was realistic to a disturbing degree. There were certain restrictions in place for holoprograms that censored more extreme gore or violence.

“I need to try to clean this wound. I could try boiling some water or…you don’t have any alcohol to you?”

He barked out a short laugh and reached into the pocket of his vest, retrieving a silver flask. He ripped off the cap with his teeth and took a hearty swig before handing it to you. “Do your worst, I’ll try not to cry about it.”

He groaned and his body twisted as you poured the clear alcohol over the gashes in his forearm. The bleeding worsened and, if he wasn’t already pale as moonlight, you’d say that the man’s face blanched even more.

“Now bind it up, quick. I get woozy at the sight of blood,” he said. You obliged as well as you could, tearing his sleeve into several long strips that you used to carefully wrap his arm. They would bleed through shortly, but the pressure at least would help to staunch it. 

“Try not to lose consciousness. You lost a lot of blood,” you said. “I’m going to get some water and firewood. ”

He nodded and reached for the gun at his hip, handing it to you by the barrel. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

You swallowed thickly as you took the old fashioned revolver in your hand. It was heavier than a phaser. You wanted to say you wouldn’t need it, but then you remembered the bee sting on your ankle. The safety measures seemed to have been corrupted with the rest of the holodeck files and you had no desire to test how bad the malfunction was.

On your search for supplies, you stepped as silently as you could, the hairs on the nape of your neck standing up as your senses searched for any danger. Bizarre noises rose up from random places in the woods, sounds of laughter, of phaser fire, the howls of animals. You didn’t cross paths with any more deadly predators, but you wasted no time in returning to the safety of the little cave. Your heart sank when you saw the man’s head hanging limply at his shoulder and the way he was slumped against the stone.

“Hey!” you said, dropping the firewood and the pile of blackberries you’d been carrying in your shirt as you went to his side. You shook his shoulder and, thankfully, his eyes opened. 

“What?”

“I told you to stay awake.”

“I was awake. I was just restin’ my eyes,” he countered. 

You rolled your eyes and picked up the blackberries again, piling them on a smooth-ish rock near him. “You better eat. A swig of moonshine isn’t going to keep your strength up.”

“You couldn’ta shot something?” he asked, chewing a berry with a grimace. 

“Didn’t want to waste bullets. There could be other lions out there.”

He scoffed, but didn’t argue and kept eating. When the blackberries were gone, he winced as he reached for the pocket of his overcoat and retrieved a cigar and a box of matches. You watched him light the cigar, it’s sweet smelling smoke filling the still air inside the cave before wafting out. There was something nostalgic about the scent of it, and your shoulders relaxed as you watched him smoke.

“Who are you, anyway?” he asked after a time.

You sighed and gave him your name, rank, and position in a deadpan voice.

“The Enterprise?” he asked. “What the hell’s that?”

You gestured vaguely. “It’s this.”

“That some kind of religion?”

You laughed, rubbing the tension out of your shoulder. “Sure. Yeah.”

He shook his head and took another slow drag of his cigar. “That’s a shame. I never could go for those pious ladies.”

You quirked a brow at him, scooting closer and taking his arm again. The blood had soaked through the thin bandaging, but it seemed to have stopped spreading at least. You considered sacrificing your undershirt to refresh the bandages. 

“You don’t believe in a life outside of this one?” you asked.

“I guess I can’t say that now, can I? After what I’ve seen today.”

“What your name?” you asked. In your mind you were still seeing him as commander Data in costume, but that was clearly not the case.

“I’ve forgotten my manners,” he said. “It’s Frank Hollander. Of Deadwood, though I don’t know if that means anything anymore.”

Frank Hollander…” the name rang a bell but you couldn’t remember at first why you knew it. Then it hit you. “Frank Hollander!”

“You know me?”

“I…I’ve heard stories.” Stories of another time when the holodeck went on the fritz, incorporating commander data’s programming randomly into the holodeck. “But…how can you be here? I mean…you shouldn’t exist anymore.”

His pale eyes studied you curiously. “Now that’s a startlin’ assertion.”

“Nevermind,” you said, turning away. “It’s getting dark. I’ll light a fire.”

He was still looking at you suspiciously, but he tossed the box of matches from his pocket to you. As darkness fell, the cacophony of overlapping noises outside only seemed to grow louder. You wondered idly just how many programs were playing at once, but mostly you trained your attention on the fire, letting it’s warmth and light comfort you. You were safe for now. Someone would notice you were missing soon. Any time now.

“This ain’t real, is it?” Frank said softly after a long period of silence. He didn’t look up at you as he said it, he merely stared into the flames, the golden light reflecting in his eyes.

“No.” There was no point in lying.

“Am I?”

His eyes met yours and you didn’t know what to say. He was a hologram, so the answer should have been no. And yet he was also, somehow, in a strange way she couldnt begin to explain to him, commander Data. Then there was the blood. The all-too-human blood.

“This is what we call a very pregnant pause, sugar,” he said as you stared at him, unsure how to answer.

You shook your head slightly, biting your lip. “I don’t know, Mr Hollander. I don’t know what you are.”

“I know what I am.”

“Oh?” you asked.

He smirked. “I’m cold and tired. Am I allowed to sleep yet?”

“I suppose you’re in the clear for now,” you admitted rather reluctantly. His quiet companionship had been keeping you grounded, and you didn’t relish the thought of being alone there at night. 

You watched him shift his weight, wincing when he moved his arm to pull his overcoat over himself as he laid down on the ground. He placed his black hat over his brow, blocking the firelight from his eyes and casting a harsh shadow across the planes of his face. 

Sleep seemed out of the question for you. You were on edge, your eyes constantly scanning the mouth of the cave, your ears tuned to every unexplained sound. You almost envied his overpowering exhaustion as you poked at the fire, wondering if you had enough wood to keep it fed through the night. 

It was about an hour later when Frank stirred. He lifted the brim of his hat and looked up at you. “You’re not sittin’ up all night are ya?”

You shrugged. “I’m a bit antsy.”

“Well hell, so’m I. Bein’ awake ain’t gonna save you though. Best to get some sleep. I’ll hold ya if you’re scared.”

You smiled despite yourself. It was so odd, hearing him speak that way when he looked so much like Data. The more time you spent with Frank, though, the less he reminded you of the commander. He raised up the edge of his large black overcoat. 

“That fire’s gonna die ‘fore morning. You better come here.”

You couldn’t think of a reason to refuse his offer and, after a moment of nervous embarrassment, you slipped underneath the makeshift blanket. He pulled you close against his chest, so close that you could feel the steady thump of his heart and the heat of his breath on your brow.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“I find it easier to rest with a woman in my arms. No need to be thankin’ me.”

“I meant about earlier. I think I’d have been killed if not for you.” The frightening truth of that statement made your stomach churn uncomfortably. You’d managed thus far to distance yourself emotionally from the closeness of your brush with fate in that meadow, but in Frank Hollander’s arms your walls felt altogether less solid. 

“I’ve been called a lot of mean things in my day; villain, heartless, brutal, cold. But if I have one shred of goodness in me, it’s the unwaverin’ belief that any man worth his hat should endeavor to put himself between a woman and a lion on the hunt.”

You chuckled softly. “Well, hopefully the occasion won’t ever come up again.”

He shrugged. “I’d do it again. But now, how about you thank me properly?”

You quirked a brow at him and he grinned. “You cheeky bastard.”

“I got a reputation to maintain, darlin’”

Maybe it was exhaustion setting in, but you found his charm irresistible in that moment and, without bothering to think twice, you tilted your chin up and kissed him. The situation you were in was ridiculous. Everything was going haywire and you could have died in the blink of an eye by a lion attack of all the damned things. A kiss in the firelight with an outlaw hologram who wore commander Data’s face was not even in the running for the strangest thing that had happened that day.

You had to wonder what Frank Hollander’s original program had been written for when he kissed you. He was hot and demanding. A bit rude, actually. Which suited his character as an old western outlaw, but that didn’t explain the sense of yearning that turned his initial blaze of heat into a smoldering ember. Was it possible for a hologram to be lonely?

“You’ll have to forgive me for not ravishing you as I ought to,” he murmured against your lips.

“You’re in pain. You’re very hurt, Frank.”

“Still, it don’t feel right to start somethin’ and not finish it. Some other time, perhaps.”

You kissed him again, letting your hands wander over his chest. “Is that a promise?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am, it ain’t. It’s a threat.”

You chuckled, tucking yourself into the crook of his uninjured arm. “I’ll clean and dress your arm again in the morning. We’ll figure everything out. Go back to sleep.” He didn’t protest, and in a short time his breathing became slow deep as he fell back to sleep. You counted his breaths, willing yourself to do the same.

In the morning, your stomach growled uncomfortably and your back ached from sleeping on the hard ground. Frank was already awake when you sat up, his black hair slightly disheveled and looking rather worse for wear. 

“Are you okay?” you said, your voice still gravelly with sleep.

“I’ve been better,” he said dryly.

You offered what you hoped was a consoling smile and scooted over to him. “Where’s that flask?”

He produced it from his vest pocket and again took a gulp before handing it to you.

“You shouldn’t waste it by drinking it,” you said, knowing he wouldn’t see that as a waste. Still, it gave him something to sarcastically retort to as you carefully peeled the soaked bandage from his rent flesh and poured the burning alcohol over it. 

“Ah, shit,” he cried out, grinding his teeth together and squeezing his eyes shut against the pain.

“I’m sorry. It has to be done. As long as we keep it clean, I don’t see why you won’t be able to keep your hand. But if it gets infected…”

The threat lingered on the air while you re-bandaged the wounds and Frank, for his part, was patient as you tied the slips of torn shirt into place.

“I’ll run out of shirt here soon,” he said sardonically when you were finished. He gingerly traced his fingers across the bandage.

“Well, you can’t use mine.”

He grinned. “We’ll see.”

And then, he was gone. He flickered out of existence, taking his hat and the overcoat on the ground with him. Suddenly, everything was much quieter than it had been. The overlapping programs had been discontinued.

Your heart lurched in the sudden solitude. “Frank?” you called, though you knew he was gone. 

“Hello?” you heard Lieutenant Geordi calling in the distance. Gathering your wits about you you rose to your feet and followed his voice.

“There you are. You had me worried for a moment there. You’ve been trapped in here for a full day, ensign. Do you know what happened?” despite his eyes being concealed, the concern on his face was plain.

You shook your head, feeling lightheaded. “I don’t know. All of a sudden all these strange things started happening. There was a lion. I could have sworn I heard some Italian mobster guys in the woods. I just…found a safe spot and hunkered down.”

“But you’re alright? The safeties were all off, you could have really gotten hurt.”

“Yeah I…I think I’m fine. I’m hungry.”

“Well, you can eat in sickbay. I’m taking you there first just in case. I’m sorry this happened, normally the holodeck is perfectly safe,” he said.

You allowed yourself to be led by Lieutenant Geordi off the Holodeck in a haze.


End file.
